Pokémon, but cultural invasion

The rich fruity aroma and mellow milk flavor explode on the tongue, and the milk changes the sticky texture of the fermented product, making it more like a fluffy jelly.

"What's so special about that? You haven't seen the Starbucks atmosphere team. They sit there all day with just one cup of coffee."

"How was the performance in Cerulean City?"

Speaking of yesterday's performance, A-Che beamed with joy: "It was definitely worth the trip. I took a lot of photos, do you want to see them?"

"Don't you only film Pokémon relaxing in their wild environments?"

"Photographing Pokémon is a passion, photographing the Cerulean sisters is a way of life."

Ah Che held up five fingers and lowered his voice: "Even if someone offered this price, I didn't sell."

"Is he afraid of being punished for secretly taking photos that violate his portrait rights?" Quanshu exposed him.

"How can something a photographer does be called 'secret filming'?"

Ah Che complained, embarrassed and annoyed, "You asked me to come and audition for the male lead, and I've been waiting for so long, where is he?"

"What's the rush? The main character is about to appear."

Quanshu looked out the window.

The scorching sun baked the asphalt road, and the rising heat blurred the shops at the end of the street.

Despite the scorching 40-degree Celsius heat, the commercial streets of Jinhuang City's South District remained bustling with people.

Couples with parasols, noblewomen walking with their kingfishers, deliverymen landing on beaks of birds—the passersby were all different.

Across the street from Mini Fu Dessert Shop, there was a long queue in front of a fried chicken and green onion duck shop.

People are willing to queue up under the scorching sun, and this isn't just marketing by a trendy shop; the fried chicken at this shop is genuinely delicious.

According to the intelligence reported by the mongoose detectives, the cunning foxes have a particular fondness for this shop and have made several attempts to raid it.

The fact that it could simultaneously conquer the taste buds of both humans and Pokémon made Izumi suspect that the shop owner had added something extra.

Suddenly, a series of crackling noises came from inside the store.

"Wow!"

"Where did this fox come from?"

The crowd parted like Moses parting the sea, and seven or eight cunning little foxes darted out, each carrying a fried chicken, followed by an enraged chef.

"Catch the thief!"

The chef rushed out of the shop, clutching a Poké Ball and looking around.

Unfortunately, the cunning fox had already broken up into smaller groups and disappeared into the alleys between the shops.

The bewildered chef returned to the restaurant and vented his anger on the front desk staff, yelling, "What are you two doing? You can't stop them every time! What use are you?"

The two waiters lowered their heads and swallowed their anger.

It's only natural that humans can't possibly stop Pokémon.

"Let's go."

Quanshu shook the empty paper cup. Mini Fu truly lived up to its reputation as one of the largest chain dessert shops.

The cream from Las Vegas, combined with the fermented juice from the pot, creates a rich and mellow flavor.

"Wait for me!"

Ah Che picked up his cup and drank it all in one gulp, then grabbed his camera and quickly followed.

......

In the intricate alleyways, water drips from an old air conditioner unit, the drops pooling in a plastic lunchbox on the ground.

A cunning little fox stared at the lunchbox that was about to fill up, and reached out its paw to replace it with an empty lunchbox next to it.

A lunchbox filled with water was pushed in front of the mini ice.

"Shhhh-"

At the urging of the cunning little foxes, the mini ice cream cones, resembling ice cream, spat out icy winds into the lunchbox.

The water froze instantly, solidifying into glistening ice blocks.

The cunning little fox carefully peeled off the plastic shell, picked up the lunchbox-shaped ice cube, and walked towards the larger fox in the corner.

He obsequiously offered the lunchbox and popsicles to the notorious fox thief.

"Shuhu!"

The fox thief took the ice.

At his command, his two henchmen began to distribute the stolen fried chicken, and even the mini ice cream was given a small piece.

Mini Ice Cream is having a problem with fried chicken; it won't eat it.

"These foxes are clever enough; they even caught a mini ice cube and used it as a refrigerator."

At the entrance of the alley, A-Che whispered.

Quanshu observed the mini ice creature's condition. This creature seemed smaller than others of its kind, and he guessed:

"The mini ice in the city is most likely abandoned, and may even coexist with the cunning little foxes."

Shh, something's coming.

Hearing the noise, the two peered into the alley.

"Pop~"

A long-tailed monkey with white and brown fur hopped and skipped into the alley.

The cunning foxes automatically retreated upon seeing the monkey monster.

"Shuhu?"

The fox thief questioned the monkey monster, his gaze piercing through the fur that resembled sunglasses.

The monkey monster patted its chest: "Gurgle gurgle~"

It pulled out a box of medicine the size of a palm.

"Ah Che, can I take a picture?" Quan Shu suddenly whispered.

"A few Pokémon, and it's like a gangster deal."

Ah Che muttered to himself as he picked up the camera with one hand, held it up over the wall by feel, and recorded the transaction.

"Hey~"

The fox thief seemed quite satisfied, and it flicked its tail.

The henchman behind him understood immediately and stepped forward with a box of fried chicken in his mouth.

"Pop!"

The monkey opened the box, smelled the aroma of fried chicken, and nodded in agreement.

After the transaction was completed, the monkey monster left without any hesitation.

"How to do?"

A-Che looked at the spring tree.

Unlike Caterpillar, Mankey is a Pokémon that inhabits the wild.

If a monkey monster is roaming the South District and making contact with the sly foxes, there's no reason the Mongoose Detective Agency wouldn't have noticed it. The only explanation is that it has a trainer.

"Follow me."

In a flash, Quanshu made his judgment.

The fox thief, having obtained the medicine, tore open the packaging, popped open the pills, and mixed them into the water.

"Shuhu!"

It turned around, revealing a cunning little fox lying in the corner behind it.

The cunning little fox was breathing rapidly, and its cheeks were flushed an unnatural red.

After being fed water mixed with pills and having ice applied to his forehead, his complexion improved slightly.

"That monkey monster went towards the pedestrian street..."

A-Che whispered a reminder, and Quan-Shu glanced back at the alley, deciding to first find out the origin of the monkey monster.

Most Pokémon living in cities make a living by stealing, and their cunning nature is aroused by their rivalry with humans in the food service industry.

Cunning Pokémon can easily form criminal gangs when they get together, resulting in a high crime rate among them.

Because of the controversy surrounding whether to interfere with the way these Pokémon live, the police mostly turn a blind eye when capturing them.

However, if a trainer is secretly directing the theft ring, the nature of the crime will be completely different.

The police department abhors the exploitation of wild Pokémon.

Judging from the fact that Mankey provides medicine to the foxes, Izumi's first reaction is not that it's a transaction between Pokémon, but that someone intends to manipulate a poaching gang.

After all, medicine isn't something Pokémon can just get easily.

Following them all the way, the monkey monster disappeared into a courtyard with an ancient and rustic design and wooden architecture.

[King of Karate]

The building that appeared before them overturned Quanshu's guess; the monkey monster was probably not acting under someone's orders.

The reason is simple: this is a martial arts dojo.

Even after losing its League Gym qualification, it still retains its pride.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Heart, the Strongest Muscle

Before the official establishment of the Saffron Gym, there were two strong contenders for the position of Gym Leader.

One of them is Nobuhiko—the leader of the [Karate King] fighting dojo.

Another one, Naz.

In the final battle for the title of gym leader, Nobuhiko was kicked to death by the psychic Sabrina, just like a stray dog ​​on the street.

Therefore, the "King of Karate" lost his eligibility to be promoted to a dojo.

Sabrina becomes the only Gym Leader in Saffron City.

In Izumi's memory, Nobuhiko would go to Mount Raibo to train after his crushing defeat, but it is unclear whether he has set off at this moment.

Are you two here to visit the [King of Karate] dojo?

The doorman noticed the hesitant A-Che and asked him about it with enthusiasm.

Well...more or less.

The doorman mistook A-Che's guilty look for shyness, and the doorman, who was a head taller than A-Che, patted him on the shoulder:

“There’s nothing shameful about it. Three years ago, I had the same bean sprout physique as you. All my muscles are from working out.”

He inhaled sharply, his skin gleaming. "If I can do it, so can you!"

"Thank you, but no need..."

A-Che looked at the bulging veins on his arm, each one coiled around.

This level of fitness will only attract people of the same sex.

Quanshu smiled and said, "We'd like to visit; please lead the way."

"It's no trouble at all; it's part of my job."

The doorman led the two along the wooden corridor, where Fighting-type Pokémon could be seen training everywhere in the garden below.